This invention relates to surface analyzing technology for a small area, and more particularly to a surface analyzing method and apparatus by which an area for the analysis is set and located readily.
In recent years, the importance of surface analyzing technology for a small area has been and is increasing. For example, in analysis and identification of residual contaminants on a surface of a semiconductor circuit element, a small area having a diameter of several microns to 0.1 micron or so is an object for the analysis. Further, also in analysis of formation of a film on a surface or of a chemical reaction such as a catalytic reaction, an area of diameter smaller than 0.1 micron is an object for the analysis.
For such demands, conventionally a method has been proposed wherein an X-ray beam is focused and irradiated upon a small area of a surface of a specimen and a fluorescent X-ray radiated from the surface of the specimen is observed (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-265556 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-88200).
With the prior art described above, however, no attention is paid to means for setting the X-ray beam with a high degree of accuracy in an area of a surface of a specimen that should be analyzed nor to means for precisely locating which area is being analyzed. In the case where the magnitude of an area to be analyzed is on the order of microns or less, it is difficult to conduct a reliable surface analysis without suitable means for setting and locating an area for the analysis.